Wait…so when you refer to Eminem you aren’t talking about the Chocolate that melts in your mouth not in your hands?!?!?

With four days left until graduation, I’ve been taking my spare moments to reflect on the things I’ve learned within the last twenty-two years. Being a Liberal Studies Major, my course work includes two classes in almost every subject. I have taken everything from Chemistry to “how to teach Physical Education.” With such a wide breadth of knowledge I have acquired, the most shocking information is the crushing of a lifelong belief that Jackson Browne wasn’t of African American descent. On the many Shelley family road trips we would have a regular rotation of the Beatles, Bad Company, James Taylor and Jackson Browne blazing on the tape deck. My mom often told stories of her teenage crush on Mr. Browne and on one trip to Sun Valley, Idaho my brother and dad actually met him. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago when I “googled” Jackson Browne that I stumbled upon a picture of a short white man. I sat at my desk in confusion wondering why a picture of a white man came up under Jackson Browne’s name. And then it clicked that my whole life has been deceptions and lies.
I started to recall stories of friends and family members and the crushing stories of their lifelong misconceptions. For example, a dear and loved one to me just realized a few years ago that the sauce you put on top of eggs benedicts is not called “Holiday Sauce” rather “Hollandaise sauce.” My favorite story of another loved one (not to be named) believed that Gary Sinise (best known for his role as Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump) actually didn't have legs in real life.

Written While Listening to "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" by David Gray